RHINELANDER - Shane White won the matchup of star big men, and the Rhinelander High School boys basketball team overcame a halftime deficit to open their WIAA Division 2 postseason with a 46-35 home win over Merrill on Friday.

White poured in 20 points in his matchup with 6-8 Bluejays forward David Jesperson. Jesperson had finished the regular season leading the Wisconsin Valley Conference in scoring and rebounding, but put in just 14 points Friday night.

"(White has) done a great job of playing a role this year, even though he has that star caliber, he keeps it within the team. He wanted to show people, when it comes to a player, I can be just the same as these other guys," Hodags coach Derek Lemmens said after the game.

Jesperson was held to just four points in the second half. As a team, RHS held Merrill to only 14 points after the break.

"We did a better job of containing. When we get over-aggressive and create holes for them, that's when they can get in there. They don't have a ton of skill players, I didn't feel. What we had to do was keep in front and try to limit Jesperson," Lemmens said.

Colton Volkmann scored 12 for the Hodags on four timely three-pointers.

"We said in the coaches' office, Colton Volkmann comes alive in the playoffs. We were looking for it, and every time he hit was right when we just needed one to get some separation," said Lemmens.

Rhinelander got off to a hot start, jumping to a nine-point lead after one quarter. It was an opening period to be expected from the top-seeded Hodags against #4 Merrill."We came out the way we wanted to. We did the things we had up on the board – we took the game plan and we got it done," Lemmens said.

But the Bluejays surprised RHS to rally back for a halftime lead at 21-20, with Jesperson finding his second-quarter stroke.

"We got away from what we had drawn up and what we wanted to do. We just let our emotions get the best of us," Lemmens said.

Rhinelander employed a 2-3 zone defense in the half-court for nearly the entire game. It was at peak effectiveness after halftime, holding Merrill to just six in the third and eight in the fourth.

The Hodags step right back onto the court at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium for Saturday's Regional Final. They will face #3 Medford, who won 58-56 at second-seeded Lakeland Friday night. Medford handed RHS one of their only two losses on the year, a 56-32 thumping on Jan. 25.

"Medford has to do more traveling, so if anything, we have the advantage," Lemmens said of Saturday's game.

Reports from Minocqua indicated Medford star guard John Keefe injured his leg on the final play of Friday's game. His status for the Regional Final is undetermined.

The Hodags and Raiders will tip at 5:30pm Saturday. Join Ben Meyer and Jeremy Mayo for the play-by-play action on HodagSports.com starting at 5:00 pm.

Thousands of people came out to benefit the fire department while having a good time. The fire department held the crowd favorite lawnmower races again this year.

They also had a volleyball tournament and games for kids. The fire chief says all the proceeds help the department pay for equipment.

"When we purchased our new fire truck, the fire department funded a good portion of the money, the fundraiser money, to help keep the tax dollars down so the tax payers didn't have to foot the whole bill for the truck," said Arbor Vitae Fire Department Chief Mike Van Meter. "And we also use it to buy turnout gear throughout the year, new air packs. Anything we can do to keep it off the tax roll."

ST. GERMAIN - The last day of Pig in the Pines wrapped up Saturday. People were able to watch the rib eating contest in the afternoon.

Newswatch 12 got to help judge ribs from this year's four rib vendors. One of the big events happened on the main stage Saturday evening.

"We have entertainment all day long," said St. Germain Chamber President Bruce Weber. "We have the Wise Guys on our main stage. We have Laura Ernst on the aerial platform here. She also does juggling. On our major stage, we have One Ping Only, and we also have Molly Hatchet, our lead act tonight."

WISCONSIN - Anyone who loves hunting and fishing will need to apply for a license. The deadline for some hunting and fishing licenses is August 1 at 11:59 p.m.

Hunters, trappers and spearers can go on the DNR website to apply.

"This is the time of year where not a lot of people are thinking about hunting, but that August 1 date is that date for applying for a bobcat, fisher or otter tag, sharp-tail grouse, or sturgeon spearing or fall turkey," said DNR Warden Supervisor David Walz.

ONEIDA COUNTY - Invasive species specialists work hard to protect our environment, but a few lakes in Oneida County aren't doing as well as experts would like.

Aquatic experts have found invasive species in four new Oneida County lakes this summer. Those discoveries are not great signs for the health of the environment, but the numbers also aren't as bad as years ago, when specialists might have found acres of an invasive species in some lakes. The new discoveries, though, are still troubling.

MADISON - People with five, seven, or even ten or more OWI convictions in Wisconsin usually serve time in jail or even in prison. But they could be driving again soon after they get out.

Wisconsin law allows a person convicted of an OWI to get an occupational license for traveling to places such as work or church within 45 days after their release. But some lawmakers think that policy could lead to serious trouble.

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